This holiday twist to a crowd-favorite is hands down one of my favorite treats! Some people call them Muddy Buddies, some call it Puppy Chow, but everyone agrees that Chocolate Peppermint Chex Mix is a hit. My version has a cool hit of peppermint and bits of crushed candy cane. One of the greatest tricks is making candy cane sugar to dust them with. It’s literally pulverized candy canes and it’s delicious! Don’t be weirded out when you see peppermint and peanut butter together here. It works. I promise. The amount of peanut butter isn’t enough that it competes with the peppermint. It actually enhances everything and rounds out the flavor profile, while at the same time lending itself to the soft chocolate texture. Just trust me and go with it.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Rice Chex cereal
- Dark or semisweet chocolate chips
- Creamy peanut butter – Smooth, basic peanut butter like JiF or Skippy is going to melt the best and provide the best texture, but any peanut butter will do. If you have peanut allergies, I’ve been told that Sunbutter works great, or I did experiment with 1/4 cup of coconut oil instead of 1/2 cup peanut butter. While my taste testers all agreed that the PB version tasted better, the coconut oil did work as a replacement.
- Butter
- Peppermint oil or extract – Be aware that the alcohol in extract can cause melted chocolate to seize, but it still works just fine. The key is to have your chocolate mixture warm and stir the extract in very quickly and then immediately add to the cereal. If using food grade peppermint oil, I usually cut the amount down to start and add more to taste, since it tends to be stronger. The oil will blend in nice and smooth.
- Candycanes – As a candy cane connoisseur, I suggest Bob’s or Brach’s (they are owned by the same company now) or even the little round star brite/ starlight mints. I would avoid Spangler brand for baking in general because the flavor and texture is not as good for baking and recipes.
- Powdered sugar
How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Chex Mix
- First, make the candy cane sugar for coating the Chex mix. Place some powdered sugar in a food processor, and break up a bunch of candy canes in there with it. This can also be done in a high-powered blender like I’m using in the photo above.
- Pulse that a few times to break up the candy canes, and then on higher speed until it goes from crunchy to smooth. You can tell when it’s done when you open your food processor and you have fluffy white peppermint snow. It’s soft powdered sugar with little teeny crunchy bits of peppermint.
- Take a few more candy canes and put them in a Ziplock bag. Grab a heavy rolling pin, or a mallet, or the bottom of a heavy cup, or anything that can smash stuff. And smash them. You don’t need to pulverize them like we did in the food processor. These little bits are getting tossed in with our cereal mix so you want little bites of peppermint.
- Place your Chex cereal in a big (no really, BIG- it will make mixing so much easier) bowl. I’m showing my crushed candy canes in here, but I actually think it works better if you toss them in after the next step, so you’ll see that reflected in my directions, just FYI.
- Place chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter in a heat-safe bowl. I know this sounds strange, seeing as we’re using peppermint, but trust me on this one. Melt it until it’s creamy and smooth and immediately add in some peppermint extract, or peppermint oil.
- Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the cereal. The chocolate mix may be slightly thick, and seem like it’s not covering everything at first, but just keep stirring and you’ll soon see that all of those cereal pieces has a nice chocolatey coating.
- Once it’s coated well, pour in your prepared candy cane sugar.
- Quickly toss everything together. Mix, mix, mix again until it’s all dusted snowy white. Peppermint Chocolate Chex Mix has a creamy smooth chocolate, with cool burst of peppermint, and cute little pieces of red and white candy. It’s pretty addicting, so consider yourself warned!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within one week for best results.
- Allergy Warning: I think it’s a good reminder, since many of you will be giving this for gifts and sharing at holiday parties, to keep in mind that snacks like this, that don’t *appear* to contain peanut butter, can be especially dangerous for those with nut allergies. Be courteous, and if you are gifting to someone, or are sharing at a party, include a note clearly labeling that it contains peanut butter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this ahead of time?
Sure! Feel free to make it a day in advance. Store in an airtight container.
Can I freeze chocolate peppermint Chex mix for later?
Yes, these will stay delicious for up to two months if frozen. You can even grab a handful and eat directly from the freezer! Simply store in an airtight container or zip-top bag.
Is there a substitution for the peanut butter?
If you have peanut allergies, I’ve been told that Sunbutter works great, or I did experiment with 1/4 cup of coconut oil instead of 1/2 cup peanut butter. While my taste testers all agreed that the PB version tasted better, the coconut oil did work as a replacement.
Do you have a white chocolate version of this?
If you’re looking for a white chocolate version (without peanut butter) I’d make this Peppermint Popcorn Recipe and just swap chex mix for the popcorn!
Chocolate Peppermint Chex Mix
This chocolate peppermint twist on classic Muddy Buddies is coated in candy cane powdered sugar.
Servings Cups
Ingredients
- 8 cups Rice Chex Cereal
- 1 cup chocolate chips dark or semisweet
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1½ teaspoons peppermint extract (or ½ tsp peppermint oil) See note
- 10 oz candy canes or crushed peppermints divided
- 1½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Place cereal in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Place 1½ cups powdered sugar, and 6 oz candy canes* (which is about ¾ cup crushed, if you bought pre-crushed Brach's candy canes) in a food processor. Pulse several times to break up candy canes and then process until smooth. You'll have very tiny bits of candy cane still visible. Set aside.
- Place remaining 4 ounces candy canes in a ziplock bag and use a heavy rolling pin, or meat mallet, to crush them into little bits. You should have a generous 1/2 cup crushed Set aside.
- Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl with peanut butter and butter. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Stir in extract (if using peppermint oil, start with only ½ teaspoon and add more to taste) and immediately pour over chex mix. You'll want to move very quickly because the extract causes the chocolate to thicken.
- Quickly pour in the crushed candy canes from the ziplock bag over the chocolate and then stir to coat the cereal. The chocolate mixture might be slightly thick, but keep stirring and it will coat everything. Tip: It helps to use a bowl much larger than you think you need. I also sometimes wear food safe gloves and just toss with my hands.
- Once the cereal mixture is evenly coated with chocolate, I like to set it sit about 5 minutes to let the chocolate set before adding the powdered sugar, but you don't have to! Reserve about ½ cup of your candy cane sugar (it's okay to eyeball) and pour the rest over the chex and toss it well. Once it's well coated, then add the final 1/2 cup and toss.
- Eat out of the bowl, or package up for sharing!
Notes
*If you don’t have a food scale, look at the number of ounces on your box of candy canes. They are constantly changing, but right now, a standard box of Brach’s brand is 5.3oz and comes with 6 candy canes. 4 ounces is about 8.5 candy canes or 1/2 cup crushed. You can also purchase pre-crushed Brach’s candy canes in bags in the baking aisle at many stores during the holidays.
Peppermint Extract vs Oil: If you have food grade peppermint oil, this is a great place to use it as oil will blend smoothly in chocolate and extract will cause it to thicken. If using oil, I cut the quantity down since oil tends to be stronger. You can add more to taste, if desired.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within one week for best results.
- As a candy cane connoisseur, I suggest Bob’s or Brach’s (they are owned by the same company now) or even the little round starbrite mints. I would avoid Spangler brand for baking in general because the flavor and texture isn’t quite as good for cooking and baking.
- Allergy Warning: I think it’s a good reminder, since many of you will be giving this for gifts and sharing at holiday parties, to keep in mind that snacks like this, that don’t *appear* to contain peanut butter, can be especially dangerous for those with nut allergies. Be courteous, and if you are gifting to someone, or are sharing at a party, include a note clearly labeling that it contains peanut butter.
Nutrition
Calories: 398kcal, Carbohydrates: 56g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 296mg, Potassium: 185mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 34g, Vitamin A: 600IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 112mg, Iron: 8mg
Calories: 398kcal
Cost: $7
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Questions & Reviews
I haven’t tried these yet but we use cashew butter to make Muddy Buddies as we have a peanut allergy. Usually I like the more “fresh” ground butter but for muddy buddies you really do need the more smooth texture for them to turn out right. I have found Jiff cashew butter works really well.
does anyone know how sunbutter or other “non” nut butter would taste in these? We just found out we have a nut allergy—but I love these.
I think Sunbutter should work just fine. I’ve used it in similar recipes for my nut-allergic child. Just make sure to stir it really, really well as it is very prone to separation.
I made these with Sunbutter (as well as dairy-free butter and chocolate chips) and they were delicious!
Could you use Nutella instead of peanut butter?
Sure, that would probably be delish. I mean, I can’t think of how putting Nutella in anything could NOT be good. 🙂
I just made this with Nutella. It’s excellent. I’m not sure if it was the Nutella, or the extra mint extract I used because I forgot to get mint chocolate chips, but my chocolate really seized up, so I added a couple extra tablespoons of melted butter.
These look yummy! Random question–do you guys have a digital kitchen scale you would recommend?
These are TOTALLY my new favorite Muddy Buddy!! I mean, I haven’t tried them yet, but I can already tell. I can taste them through the computer!! Is that weird?
No, not weird at all. I planned it that way and was wondering if anyone would notice. 😉
So, I just bought some of the Jif mint on Saturday and was wondering if there was a recipe to use it in and along comes your post! However I’m not clear, did you use the Jif mint and mint flavor and mint chips??? I love mint but I’m thinking that would be too much. Thanks for the recipe, definitely on my “gifting” list.
No, I didn’t use the minty Jif, I used regular peanut butter and mint flavored chocolate chips. I love the Jif PB on graham crackers (or a spoon! lol)
and it’s gluten free!!!!! Yeah!
I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this before, but I love reading you guys- even when it’s posts about stuff I would never make (I hate chocolate…yeah, I know….crazy). But I just love your voice/tone/style: “These might change your life (or if nothing else, your jean size.)” or “Or for holding the entire bowl in your lap while you watch your favorite dvr’d shows after your kids are in bed.”! Merry Christmas!
I’m so glad you mentioned the puppy chow thing. Seriously ? So gross! I’m glad I’m not the only one who hates it when people call it that…
I’m super excited to make these! Thanks for another fun recipe! 🙂
I’m allergic to peanuts, so I eat almond butter or sun butter instead of peanut butter. Would either of those work in place of the peanut butter?
I’ve never cooked with those Sharon, but I don’t see any reason why those wouldn’t work.
Sun butter worked great for me!